Rhett & Link
Two childhood friends from North Carolina who turned their quirky chemistry into a daily internet empire, redefining online entertainment.
Born 1977 (age 49)·YouTube comedy duo (born 1977 and 1978)·Birthday: October 11·Generation X
Biography
Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal’s journey began not in Los Angeles boardrooms, but in a first-grade classroom in Buies Creek, North Carolina. Their lifelong friendship became the foundational joke and the genuine engine for a creative empire. After college, they crafted absurdist commercial parodies and clever musical videos, cultivating a dedicated early YouTube following. Their true breakthrough came with the 2012 launch of 'Good Mythical Morning,' a daily talk show built on their effortless, meandering banter and a willingness to eat anything. The show’s success transformed them from internet comedians into multimedia CEOs, building Mythical Entertainment. They mastered the alchemy of authentic friendship and scalable content, proving that a connection forged in small-town America could command a global audience of millions every single morning.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Rhett was born in 1977, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Rhett Was Born
The biggest hits of 1977
#1 Movie
Star Wars
Best Picture
Annie Hall
#1 TV Show
Happy Days
Rhett's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1977Born
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1982Started school
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1990Became a teenager
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1993Could drive
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1995Could vote
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
1998Turned 21
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2007Turned 30
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 40
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 49 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Created and host 'Good Mythical Morning,' one of the most-watched daily talk shows on the internet.
- Founded Mythical Entertainment, a multi-faceted production company and digital studio.
- Won multiple Streamy Awards, including the inaugural Show of the Year award in 2015.
- Authored a New York Times bestselling novel, 'The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek,' in 2019.
Did You Know?
They met in the first grade and have been best friends ever since.
Both studied engineering at North Carolina State University.
Their first viral video was a public service announcement called 'The Facebook Song' in 2007.
They coined the term 'Internetainers' to describe their hybrid profession.
“We're not best friends because we work together; we work together because we're best friends.”
